A Quiver Full Of Hope
by LisaB1991
Summary: How I imagine the continuation of Arrow (and Olicity!). First story out to (hopefully) three. All mistakes are mine, and I am by no means a professional writer. Rated T for now, might change to M, for all safety. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas! I love reviews :-)
1. The aftermath & coming home

Chapter 1 - The aftermath & coming home

The flight to Starling City had been tiring. Though Oliver didn't have to suffer any troubles a commercial flight might bring along, which, frankly, was one of the many advantages of being a billionaire, the flight in his private jet had been long, boring and tiresome. Even more so because he was not particularly looking forward to come home. On the contrary. And not only because of the fact that anyone bearing the Queen familyname should be wise enough to avoid Starling City, of all places..

Which was true, by the way. Ever since the Undertaking had levelled a large part of the Glades, the Queen family name had been associated with mass murder. During the five months since that fatal night, it was clear that not all the city's residants were ready to move on and start the rebuilding. Things had gotten worse. There was no force, no man, who could have prevented those people from getting from bad to worse. Not even the vigilante, or The Hood as some preferred calling him. He had lost this spark which used to fill people with awe.. It seemed as if he was reluctant, or perhaps he was not up to the task anymore, to which he had assigned himself nearly a year ago. Fact is, that after the Undertaking, he did nothing for the city, or the people. Everything went back to normal, as if he never existed. This lead, ultimatically, to certain people taking control for themselves. If no one listened to them, of no one stood up for them or understood them, what was the point? All these selfish businesspeople.. So fine, so upstanding! But in the meantime.. They were the real scum, the rats and the disease that threatened the city.

Luckily for Oliver, he hadn't had to experience much of these fits of rage. He left as quickly as he could, a broken man, not wanting to face anyone. Where he had gone, no one knows, and no one questioned him. In some way, it was of no importance. Everyone had their own reason to grieve. But he did come back on the day of Tommy's funeral. Only few people attended the service; Laurel and her father, Oliver and Thea, some friends from college, and of course Diggle, who stood in the back, in the shades of the trees, acting as the Queen's personal bodyguard.

Felicity had thought it best not to join the service. She had not known Tommy very well, she had only seen him ocassionaly, and hadn't spoken as much with him, with the exception of some 'hello's' and 'hi's'.. Besides, no one really knew the extent of her friendship with Oliver and Diggle..

And then their was Laurel. Torn between her love for both Oliver and Tommy, she felt as if both Sarah and Tommy were standing between Oliver and her now. At first she could not even bear to look at him. He did, from time to time, glance her way. He could sense some sort of coldness, an aloofness about her. Tommy's death had taken its toll on both of them.

The fact that Tommy died, thinking things of him the way he did, made him doubt himself, his cause, and the way he handled everything. He had lied to him, assuring him that he had not murdered his father. One day Tommy had said to him that he was sorry Oliver had not died on that island. Now, he could not agree more. He had failed Tommy, his father, everyone.. But most of all, he had failed this city. How could he ever redeem?

With Moira in prison, awaiting her trial after all investigations were finished, the board had taken over the daily control of the company. With Oliver gone, Thea lead Oliver's club, Verdant. Although the club was in the Glades, the club's damage had been minimized. The renovations did not take long, and in due time club Verdant opened its doors again. Most of the storage rooms were being used again, except for the largest - the basement. There was a security system to it which no one was able to unlock. It was Oliver's friend Felicity, who had come to Thea's aid. She had explained -or at least had tried to explain- to Thea that there was some sort of server room downstairs which held all the club's data and stuff - or something like that.. Oliver had asked her, being a computer geek after all, to take care of it all. Thea wasn't at all interested in all this. She had given Felicity free reign to renovate this server room, and was a bit curious about what she was constructing when she saw both Felicity and John Diggle carry all sorts of materials around. She wasn't curious enough to come check on them, even if she wanted. The code to the security system was top secret, because they couldn't risk any sabotage to the computer system. And it really didn't matter that much to her - all she cared about was having this club up and running again, so when her brother got back, they would at least attempt to lead a somewhat normal life again.. But if he didn't...

At 3 p.m., he landed on Starling City Airport. He casually picked his iPhone out of his breast pocket to text Diggle to come and pick him up. Some kind of nervousness that was alien to his nature, kept him alert to his surroundings. There was nothing abnormal around him, still he would not put down his guard until he was in the confines of his car, on his way to Queen Consolidated.

A few days ago, a text from Diggle that had alerted him, and had made him decide to come back after all. Felicity, now being the company's Head of IT, had heard rumors during one of her meetings, that Isabel Rochev, Vice President of Acquisitions for Stellmoor International, one of Queen Consolidated's competitors, was interested in taking over the company, due to QC's bad reputation and downfall. Now this was something that Oliver wanted to prevent, at all costs. He was determined to preserve this part of his father's legacy, or what was left of it. He had failed his father once, and that was bad enough.

Within a few minutes, Diggle texted him that he was on his way. Oliver leisurely walked towards the parking lot, his hands jammed into the pockets of his expensive dark blue Armani pants. Breathing in the crisp spring air, he laid his head in his neck and let the sun warm his skin. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, just past his elbows. His red tie hung loosened around his neck. Looking from his left to his right, he didn't even recognize much of what he saw. Or perhaps the problem lay in him not wanting to recognize, to be comfronted by reality.

Growing impatient, he pulled his phone out of his pocket every few minutes, to check what time it was, or to stare at the screen numbly, as if he were waiting for the thing to come alive and talk to him. Time passed incredibly slow, or so it seemed. After checking his phone for the umpteenth time, he heard a car honk from a close distance. Oliver walked briskly to where the sound had been coming, and found Diggle had parked his car in a side street close to the airport.

Without greeting his friend, he sat down on the backseat of the car, but attempted to smile at him in the rear-view mirror. Diggle, though sensing his friend's reservation, greeted him nonetheless, in a way as if Oliver had not been absents for almost five months.

"Hey man, are you ready to kick some ass at the company? I'm sure you'll want to get there as soon as possible to -"

"Sure Digg, whatever. Let's get this done with as soon as possible", Oliver cut him off, not really interested in what Diggle had to say.

Diggle chuckled. He would never easily admit it, and especially not to Oliver, but he had missed his friend/employer/partner in crime. If the circumstances had not been as they were, he would have driven him to a cosy cafe, bought him a large draft beer, or a good glass of wine. Perhaps they could've gone to a baseball game and support the Starling City Devils, and eat way too many hotdogs with too much glasses of coke.

But now was not the time. He was not even sure if the time would even come. Not in the near future, that much was certain. It all depended on Oliver's plans, if he had any..

**So, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Got some recommendations? Please share your thoughts, I'd love to read them! :-)**


	2. Reunions

**A.N.: **

**Hey guys!**

**First of all - thanks for the reviews, subscriptions and favorites! When I published this story, I had three chapters ready. But now, it seems like inspiration's overflowing, and I'm typing away as much as I can, so stay tuned for more! I'd love to know what you all think of my little scrabbling, so please, leave me some reviews!**

**Now, as for the reviews from last night:**

**sara (Guest)**

**it looks good, I cant wait to see how Oliver and Felicity get together!**

They don't get together in this chapter yet, Sara, but believe me, they will :-) Until then, I hope you like this one!

**Dianitachiva **

**Interesting and really good chapter one!**

**I want more**

Haha, believe me, I'm not nearly finished with them yet! The fun has only just started!

**And, last but not least:**

**Guest:**

**Want more because were does Felicity come into this.**

Here you go :-)

**As for this chapter, I don't know.. I had a lot of fun writing it (did I mention I love Felicity/Olicity?) but perhaps I did a bit too much.. I must confess I got a bit carried away, so maybe it's a bit overdone.. Anyway, I'll let you guys be the judge of that. Enough babbling from my part, let's switch to the actual chapter, shall we? Happy readings :-)**

Chapter two - Reunions and awkward conversations

Dang it! Why did she, Felicity Meghan Smoak, computer genius, ever agree to this new function?! This was her fifth meeting in two days. Two days! And for what? She knew the company was dealing with some serious bad times, probably the worst in its entire existance, but come on! It's not likely that some serious talks will bibbidi-bobbidi-boo QC out of its crisis.. Not that she did not care, on the contrary; she did! And it's not that she's _that_ socially awkward, for not wanting to attend these boring meetings.. It's just that this was not what she had envisioned.

She was an IT geek, computers were her life. Her daily routine existed of binary codes, computer programming and making sure all servers were up and running. She knew perfectly how to fix things, from frozen programs to laptops riddled with bullet holes. Granted, as Head of IT, she was still surrounded by her beloved monitors, motherboards and other hardware, but there was still a lot to get used to, aside from these meetings.

One: a different floor. She was now working on the 34th, which meant: bad coffee, uncomfortable chair, but a rather wide view, which could have been nice, had a large part of the Glades not been destroyed nearly five months ago. The view as it was now was not really worthy to be printed on a nice 'Greetings from Starling City' postcard or something. It would take some expert Photoshop skills to brighten it up. Of course, that would not be too tough a chore to Felicity Smoak, computer legend.

Ugh. Two: The view makes even the mind babble. It's hard to focus when you had played a major role in preventing the Undertaking from taking place, but had failed miserably, the view being a clear evidence of that. She was sure though that both Oliver and Diggle disagreed with her on that point. Still, she could not help but feel that she could have done more, had she tried harder. She had failed this city. She had failed the Glades and the families living in it. She had failed detective Lance, Diggle, Tommy.. Oliver. It always came back to Oliver.

So, three: Oliver. She had gotten used to spending her days with him, before everything had escalated; during her work days he would drop by sometimes, or text her if he needed something. Then the nights at the Foundry, working together with him and Diggle. Nothing was the same anymore now that he was gone. She would never easily admit it, and especially not to Oliver, if he had been here, but she missed her friend/employer/partner in crime.

But for how long would he still be her employer? This whole situation was getting out of hand. It was like they were all lined up, headed for the straight of the abyss. If only Oliver were back.. Once she heard the rumors that there were plans to sell the company, and to none other than Stellmoor International, she had Diggle send Oliver a message, hoping he'd come back again. This was only yesterday, and she hadn't heard anything from either of them.

She thought about sending them a message. She had even insisted on searching for Oliver herself, but Diggle had told her not to. If Oliver did not want to be found, you'd better not look for him. If the timing were right, he'd come back, or so Diggle said. Felicity wasn't sure about that, but had decided not to get into anyone's way. He'd come back, sooner or later.. Or so she hoped.

She checked her watch, and frowned. Normally, at this hour, Diggle would bring her some belated lunch, knowing that she was far too busy to take a break or pause the meetings to grab some.

Ah yes, four: the company's caterer was bad, really bad. Not easy to get used to actually, not really worth a try.

With a sigh, she got up from her chair, straightening her grey pencil skirt, planning on stretching her legs now that the last of this day's meetings was over. Crossing her office to the window and back, she took her phone in her hand again and checked for any new messages or emails. None. With her back turned to the door, she folded her arms around herself and stared out of the wide spread window, without seeing much of the view.

Lost in thought, she did not hear the first and second knock on her door, which opened quickly afterwards.

"Hey Felicity, look what the wind blew in!"

Surprised, she turned around, seeing Diggle stepping into her office, a huge grin plastered on his face, carrying a Big Belly Burger bag in one if his hands. Smiling, she gestured him to place her lunch on her desk, and as she started to move towards it, she caught sight of a second person, standing on the doorstep. It took her only a few nanoseconds to realize who it was, though it seemed like the whole world froze around her.

"O-Oliver?", she stuttered, blinking once, twice, to make sure he was really standing there.. The confident billionaire, former playboy, undercover vigilante, master of his own universe.. And incredibly sexy. Whoops. Did she just really think of him that way? Hell yeah. She felt her cheeks burn, and quickly bit her lip to prevent her face from splitting into two if she kept smiling the way she did, for she now realized it was really him.

"Hey Felicity. You look good." Not knowing what else to do, he stepped forward and pulled her into an awkward hug.

Without giving it much thought, or paying attention to her racing heart, she returned his embrace, trying to make sure not to choke him, being her enthusiastic self.

"Y-you too.. Good to see you again.", was all she managed to choke out.

Completely forgetting her lunch, she motioned him and Diggle to sit in the two chairs that stood in front of her desk. Taking a seat behind the desk herself, she placed her elbows on top of it, her hands lying in front of her, fingers silently drumming the polished wooden surface.

"So.." How awkward could it possibly be? They had not seen eachother in nearly five months, and even though many things had happened in the meantime, she did not know what to say or where to begin. It was somewhat surreal really, especially to Felicity, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah so.. Quite some change of scenery, huh?" Leaning back in his chair, Oliver made a quick scan of the room. The office was quite spacious, and even though she didn't share it with anyone, there were no personal items on display, like a framed picture or a fancy coffee mug with some sort of caricature on it. Even Felicity's brightly colored pens with feathers on top of it had disappeared. Apparently, Felicity had changed, and though she seemed quite sophisticated, with her hair down, new glasses, and gorgeous legs popping out on top of those killer heels, he longed for the Felicity as she once were.. Spunky, plainspoken, courageous. He even already missed her babbling!

"You really look good, Felicity. This new challenge has done you good, I see." Nodding to him, she could not help but smile. "Yeah boss, and to think I owe it all to you! Thanks, it's indeed a challenge.. I just hope I can keep putting my talents to good use.. I'd hate it if it were for a lost cause.."

The silence that followed hung as a heavy curtain on them. Somehow, the approaching, and seemingly unevitable appocalypse of Queen Consolidated was ever nearer then they imagined. If only Oliver got back on time..

"Yeah, that makes to of us. You're really fit for the job, Felicity. And that's primarily why I got back in the first place. So.. What's been going on since my absence?"

"Well, almost immediately after you had gone, Walter arranged a board meeting, and announced he was not longer taking an interest in the company, and that he had decided to resign. You can imagine the chaos it brought along.. It was bad Oliver, really bad. I hacked into some of the Human Resources files. Almost fourty percent of your employees quit after what happened, you know.. That night.."

"And then, one day, this Rochev woman turned up. She's the-"

"Vice President of Acquisitions for Stellmoor International, I know", Oliver said with a sigh, his hands clenched into fists.

"Yeah. So. You've yet to meet her, right? I mean, of course, you just came back. I'm sure you'd be looking forward to meet her, she's well.. Quite your thing, I'd say.."

That last phrase caught his attention. Cocking his head to one side, his eyes narrowing at her, he quietly prompted her to continue.

"Her being brunette. That's all I'm saying," Felicity rambled, which caused Oliver to raise an eyebrow, and Diggle trying to stifle a snicker, but failing miserably.

Felicity's cheeks reddened a darker shade. Trying hard to avoid Oliver's eyes, knowing he was gazing at her intently, she quickly added "Well you know.. You sort of share a history with quite some eligible brunettes, not that I know all of your dating history.."

"Laurel, Helena, McKenna.. See?", she quickly added, watching Oliver glaring at her, both annoyed and entertained.

"Felicity, McKenna is not brunette. But, let's just say, or assume for that matter, that I indeed prefer brunettes.. What's your hair color actually?"

Knowing exactly where this was leading to, she answered promptly, "I'm blonde, Oliver".

"No. You dye it, you said so yourself. What's your natural hair color?"

"Why would that matter? I honestly cannot picture us dating! You're like.. Well you're you, obviously, and.. I am me. Some plain IT girl, some-"

"I was just joking Felicity, don't take this too seriously."

"Right Okay. If you say so.."

"Back to this Rochev lady, what-"

"Brunette."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm.. Brunette. Just for the sake of our.. Professional, secret and _very_ platonic relationship, I'll keep dying it. Not that I typically oppose to the idea of dating you, which does not automatically mean that I would envision us actually dating, though the idea of it is not entirely unpleasant... I'm babbling again, aren't I? Well, let's just say, and that'll be the last thing I'll say on this subject.. I'll keep dying my hair. Blonde. Very blonde.."

Oliver could not help but chuckle. As uncomfortable as her babbling sometimes was, especially for her, he had missed this. No matter how grave the circumstances, she would always lighten the mood, unintentionally.

"Right.. Isabel Rochev, she's.. Quite something I'd say. She's like a scrambled mix of Bambi, Hannah Montana and the Wicked Witch of the West.."

"Wait, hold on. I'm not quite following you. Please explain this.. Scrambled mix you put together for me, Felicity?"

Looking pointedly at him as if he were insane for not understanding her, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Sure! So, Bambi.. Bambi's trademark is his eyes, right? She has these huge brown eyes.. They're nearly black actually.. And then Hannah Montana, you know who she is, right? Most people find her sweet and fun, but she annoys me. My neighbours once had their grandkids over, and they spend an entire Sunday watching these Hannah Montana series, at full volume. Every time that kid began to sing, it made me want to hit something! Right, last but not least, the Wicked Witch of the West. I assume you're familair with Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, right? No? The Dorothy movie with Michael Jackson in it, then? Or Maguire's trilogy on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West? No? The Broadway musical then?"

Oliver shook his head, bemused. "Neither."

"It's quite a pretty story though. I saw the musical last year. It's about this green girl.. Ha! Ironic, right? And she wants to do good, but doesn't get a chance in doing so, so she-.."

"What has this to do with Isabel Rochev?"

"Nothing! Sorry, I got carried away in my fangirlism -Wait, is that a word? But, I do have a point! You see, in Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, there's this Wicked Witch of the West, and she's bad, really bad. And, fun fact! Stellmoore International is based in..?"

"Coast City..?"

"That's right! And where is Coast City?"

Oliver sighed, growing quite impatient with her. "On the west side of Starling City Felicity, I get it. But please explain to me, why this is of interest to me?"

"Because, Mr Queen, if you remember, your father left you a notebook, filled with the names of numerous baddies who failed this city, and needed some kicks in the ass. She obviously is in need of some as well.."

"Guys, really?! Is this why you wanted me to come back? I'm not planning on taking up the Hood anymore!

"Oliver, please. Let me explain. Hold on!"

Taking a small key from her pocket, she dug under her desk and unlocked a drawer with it. Taking a leather notebook out of it, she turned page after page, until she found what she was looking for. After she found it, handed it to Oliver, allowing him and Diggle to study the pages she selected.

"See? Near the bottom, on the right page. Isabel Rochev is wicked, and has failed this city, Oliver, and now she has her claws clenched around QC, ready to tear us all apart, and do God knows what.. There's a reason why her name is scribbl-"

Suddenly, Oliver jolted out of his chair, sprang to his feet and stalked towards the window, Felicity and Diggle followed his movement, and came to stand behind him.

"Oliver, you should know-"

"No Diggle," Oliver cut him off, moving restless, pacing back and forth, his arms up in the air. He crossed the room towards the door, roughly pulling it open. "The vigilante is gone. He died when his best friend died, thinking him a murderer. I did not come back to reprise that role."

And as quickly as his outburst had begun, he paced away, closing the door with a loud bang.

**A.N.: That's all for now folks! Please leave a review, and stay tuned for more, though I can't promise I keep updating this fast on a regular basis :-) **


	3. A brother and sister

**A.N.**

**Hey guys! Once again, thanks a bunch for reviewing, subscribing and favoriting! It means a lot!**

**iTand**

**Great story so far**

Thanks a lot, I can only hope you like the future chapters (and this one, of course)

**MC (Guest) **

**Wow this is a great story so far, I think you have got the characters spot on and the right amount of drama and humour. Please update soon, great job so far :o)**

This means a lot to me, a writer can only hope its readers think of their stories this way, thanks so much!

**CassandraBlake (Guest) **

**Love it. I was the guest who wanted more Felicity and I wasn't**

**disappointed. Thank you so much.**

Hi Cassandra, great to see you review once again :-) I'm glad you like it so far! And even though this chapter is not filled with Olicity, the next one will be, so stay tuned!

**bdbouchra **

**c'est pas mal mais felicity a l'air du femme bête des qu'elle est devant**

**oliver elle ne s'est plus quoi dire je pense que felicity est une femme forte et sur d'elle qui ne dis pas tout est b'importe quoi des qu'elle voit un homme charmant au contraire .**

Bdbouchra, thanks for reviewing, but as I explained in the pm I sent you, my French skills lack way too much in order for me to fully understand what you are saying, even with the help of Google Translate. But I think I do understand that you're not really satisfied with the way I picture the characters. Please allow me to explain my motives, about how I wanted this fanfic to begin. You see, I picture Oliver to be 'lost', after the first season's finale. It's how we see him in the season 2 promo, and it's been explained in numerous interviews. Tommy died and I believe he blames himself because of that. He's hard on himself, and on the people who are dearest to him. Felicity will try to talk some sense into him, but, as we all know, she's a bit awkward when she's around Oliver. But they'll all come around. She'll still be the strong woman she's always been, and Oliver will once again be his charming self, but first, someone (most likely Felicity) will have to kick his ass. OK, I suck at giving summaries and explanations, but I hope you'll understand me better now.

**Dianitachiva**

**Our girl, strong... as usual!**

**I know, I know, this is slow, but, I need more Olicity, please!**

**I can't wait for the next...**

Hey Dianitachiva, thanks for reviewing again! Haha there'll be more Olicity, never worry. Not for now, but next chapter will be filled with Olicity!

**So, perhaps you've already noticed, but I need to tie some lose ends first before I focus more fully on Olicity. I re-watched the season 2 promo over and over again, and have come up with some interesting new ideas. This chapter will more or less focus on Oliver's home situation, especially with his sister. It's not really a big deal, but I feel like sort of neglecting the other characters if I make Oliver come back, and then jump into a relationship with Felicity, forsaking all others that matter in this story. **

**So here goes. Don't worry, next chapter will be filled with Olicity. I'm just not sure when I will be able to update again, because the day after tomorrow I'll start my journey home after four wonderful holiday weeks :-) and, when I'm home I'll make a shiny cover picture for this story, instead of the historical drama thingy that's on now.**

**So stay tuned, happy readings, and please leave some reviews! **

**Chapter 3 - A Brother And Sister**

"Speedy?" As soon as Oliver closed the front door behind him, he finally felt at ease, for the first time since his plane landed. Intending on finding his sister, he quickly searched the hallway, sitting room and dining room. When he paused to take a peek in the kitchen, he ran into Raiza, the mansion's housekeeper, and maid.

"Master Oliver, you are back?" Wiping her hands on her apron, Raiza turned to him, a huge smile plastered on her face. From what he could see, Raiza had been preparing dough for, judging the further supplies that stood on the counter, his favourite treat: Dutch applepie.

"I am, Raiza, and I see I'm just in time!" While grinning at her, he stepped forward and hugged her. "How are you, Raiza?"

"I am well Sir, thank you. I spend most of the time looking after Miss Thea when she's not away to your club. She's a tough girl, but sometimes I think she's barely holding herself together.."

"Thank you Raiza, for everything you've been doing for us, after everything that's happened. It must have been tough for you."

"Never, Master Oliver. You and Miss Thea are very special to me, you always were. I just cannot help but feel that Miss Thea missed you so terribly. Even though she does not show it to me, I know she needs someone closer to her to confide in."

Oliver knew exactly what she meant. After all, they were the only ones left of their little family. She'd been all by herself when he went away, and she needed him. He vowed to himself that, from now on, he'd be the brother she deserved.

"Where is she?"

"She's at the club, Master Oliver. Attending to your business has done her good. She did a good job, Sir."

"I'm sure of that. I'm going to see her then. I'm not sure I'll be home for dinner though."

"Don't you want to eat something, before you leave?"

"Thanks Raiza, I had some lunch on my flight home. Besides, I don't want to keep you from your baking activities. Please keep one of those generous wedges for me!"

Smiling affectionately at her, he turned and walked into the direction of the front door.

"No Roy, I'm sorry! I can't give you the night off! There's this big shindig on the agenda tonight, I need all the help I can get."

"Who would have thought that my new manager would even be stricter than the previous one?" Roy snaked his left arm around her waist, while he cupped her cheek with his right. "Not that I don't like a bossy woman.."

"As long as you get your way in the end? No way Roy, that's not going to happen."

"Come on Thea, just this once!" Roy let his arms drop and took a step backwards. He was getting impatient, if not annoyed, with his bossy girlfriend.

"Why? Why tonight? Is it because of this manifastation?"

"Yes. It is. You know I want to join!"

"But why? What good will it do, Roy? No one's going to listen to you. It'd do you even more harm. And for what?"

"The people, Thea! Don't you understand! Someone has to do something, and stand up for what's right, like.. Like he did!"

"The vigilante?" Thea said, her arms crossed. "He's gone, Roy. It's over. He's not coming back. Stop this.. This obsession of yours and quit dreaming. Welcome to the real world, Roy. There is no such thing as superheroes, fighting for what you see is right."

"And what would you know about it? Huh? Thea, you don't know what it's like, to grow up like I did.. With nowhere to go, no one to turn to.. And then he showed up. He fought for what was right, he made me realize that something can actually be done!"

Unknown to both of them, someone was standing right behind the door of the manager's office, listening to their bickering. It seemed his sister's 'friend' was still crazy about The Hood. Oliver sighed. Time to interfere.

"Ahum. Sorry, am I interrupting something?" With a smile as a saint, Oliver pushed the door further open, to reveal himself.

"Ollie!" His sisters voice echoed through the room. Exited, she jumped into his arms, folding her arms and legs around him, holding him tight.

"I cannot believe you're back! Where have you been?"

"Good to see you too, sis. Man, it seems like ages since I last saw you."

Reaching out to shake hands with Roy, he gave him a slanted smile. "Roy, right?"

Roy quickly took Oliver's hand, slightly flinching, as if he anticipated Oliver's firm handshake, like the last time he saw him.

"Yeah. And you're.. Thea's disapproving older brother, right?"

"Kinda. But you can call me Oliver, if you'd like." Smiling because of the little joke he'd made, he returned his attention to Thea, who let go of him, and stood mere inches away from him now.

"You've done a great job, Speedy, attending to the club during my absence, I'm impressed!" Leaning back, keeping her at arms length, he studied her face intently, looking for any negative signs, seeing none.

"I'm glad you like my work, Ollie. It was quite a nice distraction, you know, mom being in jail, Walter gone.. And you.."

"I know it must have been hard for you. Have you been visiting mom?"

"Mom's not allowed to see visitors for long. I usually visit her once or twice a week, but we're never allowed some time alone. It's hard, not knowing what to talk about, without any privacy.. Her attorney adviced her not to talk about anything related to the case.."

"Her attorney? Who did you hire?"

"Don't you know? laurel has volunteered to defend mom at court."

"laurel?" Oliver was surprised to find out his on-off girlfriend Laurel Lance had agreed to stand by Moira Queen, who was held responsible for the deaths of so many people, including his best friend, and her ex-boyfriend, Tommy Merlyn.

"CNRI is up and running into business again?"

"No, CNRI was a lost cause, building it up again would have cost too much money, so Laurel has become a partner in some lawfirm, I believe it's called Justice League International."

Oliver then turned to Roy, "And I assume you accompanied my sister?" Roy nodded, looking Oliver directly in the eye.

"She needed someone to look after her. Someone who was not a coward to run away and hide the moment things got out of control."

"Are you saying that-"

"I'm not saying anything Mr Queen, I'm just clear about the facts."

"Roy, please. He's my brother, not my father. There's no need to-"

"What difference does it make, Thea? He left you alone, in a time you needed him most. He should have known better to leave you all by yourself. A second time."

"Now wait a minute kid, this-"

"- is getting out of hand. Please guys, step back!" Thea moved to stand between her brother and boyfriend, who had moved to stand dangerously close to one another. Although Roy was smaller than Oliver, and not nearly as strong, he lifted his chin, as if challenging him. Both men stood with clenched jaws and fists.

"Guys, I mean it! Hey!" Jumping up and down, trying to get their attention, both her hands pressed to each of their chests, she managed to push them apart.

"What's done, is done. Roy, you can take the night off, if you like. I think I could use some time alone with my brother, after all. Ollie, how about some dinner, huh? After I show you around our club."

Oliver smiled at her fondly, for her use of the word 'our'. Quite the little shrew, his baby sister.

"I know some terrific restaurants around here, we could order pizza, or some Chinese take out!"

"Speedy, that's a great idea! It'd be nice to have a little sibling bonding over some delicious take out. Don't worry about the dessert though. I bet that, at this very moment, Raiza's famous Dutch apple pie is in the oven, nicely brown and crispy.."

Giving her brother a playful shove, she turned around to her boyfriend. "Sounds wonderful, Ollie. If you'll excuse us for some five minutes, please? I'll meet you downstairs at the bar."

Reluctant to leave her just now, his gaze caught Roy's. Sending him a quiet warning, over the head of an oblivious Thea, he disappeared downstairs.

"So, what's all this, Miss Queen? All too willing to give the boyfriend the night off, to spend the night with the grumpy older brother? Are we playing favorites here?"

Chuckling, Thea wound her arms around Roy's neck. "Hush Roy, and give me one of your infamous kisses which makes my head swim.."

All too happy to oblige, Roy pressed her slender frame against him, cupping her cheek in his right hand, angling her face. Closing his eyes, his mouth came down on hers. And as their tongues wildly danced together, in perfect harmony, Thea's felt her knees buckle.


	4. Comfort

**A.N.:**

**Here I am again, with a new chapter! Whoo! Sorry I kept you all waiting so long. Thanks again for your supportive reviews, it really means a lot to me.**

**MC (Guest) **

**Yet again another great chapter, not much olicity but that ok as you need to set up the scenes for the forthcoming chapters, look forward to the next chapter(s), the only bug bare is that I wish the chapters were longer (as they are so well written). Yet again great job.**

Wow, that is a wonderful, huge compliment! Thank you so much! I'll see what I can do about it, thanks for telling me!

**amsr**

**los tres capitulos me parecieron fabulosos, me encabta deoliver y felisity, laurel no me gusta para nada ya que ella le guampeo con su mejor amigo, que nomerecen ni que la nombren, ana maria**

Hi Ana Maria, gracias for reviewing! I only had the opportunity to study Spanish for one year, sadly.. So long live Google Translate! I hope you'll like this and the upcoming chapters as well!

**Guest**

**More please**

Here you go!

**iTand**

**good chapter**

Thanks, glad you like it :-)

**Dianitachiva **

**Sometimes Roy is desperate!**

**I want more**

Yeah, Roy's a real piece of work! And as for you wanting more, I can only oblige :-D hope you like it!

**CassandraBlake (Guest) **

**You're awesome. Does Thea know about Felicity. Because if she does Felicity and Thea need a scene were their eating lunch together or something were Oliver catches them laughing like they were old friends. That would be funny. Anyway it was a great story. Keep it up.**

Hey Cassandra, thanks again for reviewing! Yeah, she knows. I believe I mention them shopping together in the next chapter.. But there's more! So stay tuned!

**Jean Deere**

**i like your story hopefully it will tie me over til next season starts**

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Ugh I can't wait til next season begins.. Is it Oct 9 yet?

**Sorry I kept you guys waiting, but here it is, my fellow Oliciters! The chapter we have all been waiting for, filled with Olicity goodness. I hope you'll like it. And what do you think of my story cover/avatar? Happy readings! :-)**

**Chapter four - Comfort**

Still chastising herself for being such a blabbermouth, Felicity unlocked her front door at 10 p.m. that evening. She'd been too busy, attempting to make up for the colleagues who had left, to realize that the sun had long set and was replaced by a starlit sky, with an almost full moon.

Still debating on whether she should order that pepperoni pizza or not, she was too lost in her thoughts to turn on the lights. When she opened the door to her living room, the room was mostly dark, except for some beams of moonlight shining through the windows, which cast ghostly shadows on her walls and furniture.

She frowned. One of the windows near the bedroom door stood open, and she was sure she had closed all of them before she left for the office that morning. Without thinking about it any further, she crossed the room to close it.

"Does your boss actually pay for overtime?"

"WHOA! Who are you? Show yourself, I'm.. I'm armed!"

Chuckling, Oliver stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Really now, Miss Smoak? And what is that in your hand? Air freshener? I'm scared to death.."

"Oliver! What.. How?" Oliver chuckled, and then laughed out loud, a sound she had never heard before. She found she liked it. "Felicity Smoak at a loss for words. Truly a historic moment!"

"Don't let it get to your head, Queen, there's nothing funny about sneaking into someone's house and scaring them to death."

"You are right, I am sorry I scared you. Now please Felicity, put the spray can down."

Felicity glanced at her right arm, which was still lifted in the air, holding the spray can.

"It's lilac. Very, very dangerous."

"I'm sure of that. Now please, put it down. Like I said before, I am not going to hurt you, Felicity!"

Both oblivious to the fact that this statement brought back so many memories to both of them, they simply stood for a moment, staring at eachother, while Felicity slowly lowered her arm and set the spray can back on the windowsill.

Suddenly, Felicity blinked, and her eyes widened with shock. "How did you get in?"

"Through the window. One of the safest methods to sneak into someone's house without anyone noticing, you know."

"And.. Exactly how long have you been here?"

"Long enough. I've been to the club, spent some time with my sister.. I think I got here around nine thirty or so. Why?"

Felicity slightly began to panick now. "Are you aware of the fact that I am not living all by myself anymore?"

Oliver was surprised, and felt a pang of disappointment, a feeling which was quite alien to him. Felicity living with someone? He wasn't aware she had been dating. Only a few months ago, she had told him she wasn't seeing someone at the time. He had figured she was still single.

But before he could ask her about it, Felicity moved around the living room, as if looking for something, instead of someone. Looking behind the sofa, cooing something unintelligentable, she disappeared out of view for a few seconds.

"There you are! My sweet little man, why are you hiding around here? Did the mean big man scare you, huh? Did he?"

Amazed, he watched her reappear from behind the sofa again, and flinched as she finally put some lights on. Blinking, he was finally seeing that she had something in her hands. Barely able to contain his laughter, he saw her carrying around a little bundle of softly meowing fur.

Tenderly caressing the small three-colored calico kitten, she carefully walked towards Oliver, holding her little bundle of joy close to her. "Oliver, this is Dexter, the love of my life."

A little relieved, Oliver reached out and carefully caressed the kitten, all this while holding his breath. It was so small, so vulnerable.

"Now Dexter, you see? He's not as scary as he looks like." Oliver looked at her. There was something in her eyes.. He did not know quite how to put it. It was as if her eyes softened, and were full of love, when she looked at the little squirming creature. He'd never seen her look that way before.

"So that's why you were so anxious about the window?"

"Yeah. It's a long way for a kitten to fall down to the ground from here, you know?"

Oliver chuckled, and walked towards the sofa. Picking up a duffle bag he had brought along, he sat down, and patted the soft leather of the couch. "Come sit beside me, please. I'd like to misuse your hospitality for some time this evening, if that is ok."

Not knowing what else to say, she simply said "Sure," and sat down right beside him, laying a spinning Dexter on her lap.

"I brought some.." Oliver rumaged through his duffle bag, and triumphantically held up a bottle of wine "excellent wine. I know I promised you that extraordinary type of wine almost a year ago, but I kinda forgot about it.."

Taking the bottle from him, she pretended to study the label, as he took some glasses and a corkscrew from the bag. "Would you like some?"

"Sure!" She eagerly took the glass he offered her, and took a sip.

"Oliver, have you eaten yet? Because I haven't, and I'm starving." Grabbing his iPhone, he quickly dialed a number. "Pepperoni pizza's your favourite, right? Hang on, pizza's on its way."

And so, Oliver ordered two pepperoni pizza's, and two buckets of Ben&Jerry's icecream. After an hour and a half, they found themselves lazily sitting on her couch, empty pizza boxes and ice buckets in front of them on the side table.

"Look, Felicity, I wanted to apologize to you, for my behavior this afternoon. It was uncalled-for. I meant to offense."

"None taken," she dismissed his apology, not needing or wanting it. She understood his frustration, his anger. She'd be the last one to hold it against him.

"I have decided.. To go and meet Isabel tomorrow. I want to discuss some things with her.. Do you think you could arrange a meeting tomorrow, at say.. Eleven thirty? And perhaps join us?"

Felicity nodded eagerly, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "Sure thing, sounds like a plan!"

Immediately sensing a change in him, she watched him gaze intently at the contents of his glass, carefully swirling it around, his lips clenched together in a small line "Felicity?"

"Hmm?" She sat closer to him, ready to comfort him, if he needed comforting.

He placed his glass on the sidetable, and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his hands.

"Have you ever felt so.. So lost? So lost that you doubt everything you ever thought was right? Even yourself? That all you ever believed in, falls into shatters?"

"I understand how you must feel, Oliver. But please believe me when I say, that none of this was your fault. You did everything you could-"

"Felicity. My best friend died, thinking that I was a murderer," he said, quietly. "I even lied to him, right before he died. How can I possibly do what I am to do? No matter what I do, I disrespect either my father, or Tommy by it."

"I don't think this is about making choices, Oliver."

"But how am I to do, what I have to do, if honoring Tommy would mean I neglect my father's dying wish? And vice versa?"

Not really paying attention to what she was doing, she took his left hand in her right, and cupped his cheek with the other, turning him to face her, to force him to look her straight in the eye.

"Oliver, there's no need to worry about that, so stop it. You could still be the vigilante, but you don't need to be an avenger. The city needs a hero, someone to make it all right. The people, this city, it needs hope, Oliver. Whatever you are trying to atone for, let it go! Be our hope, become the light in this darkness. I know, that in this way, you can right all wrongs; your father's, your mother's, and even your own. And I know that, in due time, you will agree with me."

Oliver took both of her hands, and looked her straight in the eye. "How do you do that, Felicity?"

"Do what?"

"You never question me, or my actions. You just.. Stand by me, you give me hope when I'm about to falter.. Why is it you believe so much in me, Felicity, that you keep looking for what's still left of goodness inside of me, even if everyone else, even me, have failed to see it?"

To his surprise, Felicity returned his gentle squeeze. "Because I am basically the only one who knows about your preference for green eye make-up, and your fetish for leather pants and such. No, but honestly, Oliver. It isn't too tough a chore. And in time, you will realize that there is plenty of goodness, still inside of you. Right.. Here," and she placed his hand, along with one of her own, on his chest, right above his beating heart.

"And everyone else knows it, too. You just keep them at a distance too much. Not that I don't understand your motives for doing so, when you still acted as the vigilante,"

"But promise me one thing, Oliver. Don't let your guilt get the better of you. Please don't let yourself drown into it. You just have to.. Find a balance between honoring both your father, and Tommy. And when that's happened, you can become the man that this city, your family, all of us, need."

The man I need, she silently added. Because she had finally admitted to herself that she had a thing for him. Her crush had vanished, and she knew now that she had fallen in love with him.

"Felicity. What am I to do without you?"

"Well, if you keep breathing, and keep walking the straight and narrow, I think you'd manage just fine," she told him, and smiled at him.

He leaned towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "It's getting late. I should probably get going."

For the first time since he had arrived, she looked at her watch. 12:45 a.m.! The bottle of wine was nearly empty, she never drank that much alcohol before!

Clearing his throat, Oliver got up from the chair and collected their empty wine glasses. Opening his duffle bag, he carefully placed them into it.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll send Diggle over tomorrow to place some new locks on your windows, they really need to replaced. And perhaps I'll have him install an alarm system as well, just in case."

"I appreciate your concern Oliver, but please. There's no need."

"This is an argument you are not likely to win, miss Smoak. Any resistance from you will only delay the inevitable; me getting my way."

"Always the gentleman, Mr Queen!"

"Always. Now, I'll just let you and your house tiger have some time alone, see you tomorrow at the office?"

"Sure thing, boss. Good night!"

"Sweet dreams, Felicity," and with a smile that made her tremble, he slipped through the front door, while Felicity absentmindedly stroked her cheek. Oliver Queen had just kissed her! Alright, it was only a peck on the cheek, but still!

Suddenly, she felt the urge to dance. So she took Dexter in her arms and swirled around the room with him, laughing hysterically. Oliver Queen had kissed her! And he had come to her, of all people, to confide in her.

She made a promise to herself then: no matter what happened, she would stand by his side, fight his battles and tend to his physical and emotional wounds. And then maybe, just maybe, he would open up his heart to her. And until that happened, she'd do anything to give him hope.


	5. Isabel Rochev

**A.N.: We finally arrived at the introduction of Isabel Rochev! I've had this chapter ready for some time now (I'm already four chapters ahead), and decided it was about time to update. Please keep those reviews coming, I'm hungry for more!**

**Lil5weetie:**

**This chapter kind of confused me. How did Oliver to from being indifferent to climbing through Felicity's window? Don't get me wrong, I am liking this story and I loved the jealous Oliver, but it didn't seem to flow.**

You're absolutely right, I am sorry for the confusion. It was never my intention, and I don't really have an excuse.. Well maybe I was too focussed on delivering a Olicity themed chapter, but I agree that it was a bit too soon, I wasn't really paying attention.. My fault! I'll try to work it out in later chapters. Until then, I hope you continue liking my story, despite my errors in writing!

**Jean Deere:**

**so cute love it**

Great! Stay tuned for more :-)

**CassandraBlake:**

**Can't wait to see Thea and Felicity going shopping. Oh! Love Dexter.**

They will! Thanks, I love Dexter as well. I remembered reading somewhere that Emily thought Felicity would be a cat person.. Since I'm a cat person myself, I just couldn't resist!

**MC:**

**I loved this chapter, I loved the witty banter between Oliver and felicity in her apartment and the way he is starting to open up to her. Great job. Look forward to the next chapter.**

Glad you liked it! Here you go :-) I hope you like this chapter as well!

**Dianitachiva:**

**Cute and bonding Olicity moment!**

**Is Felicity and always will be Felicity!**

**I can't wait for more and Olicity romance!**

I can't promise Olicity romance in this chapter, but you can expect some Olicity sweetness nonetheless!

Chapter 5 - Isabel Rochev

The next morning, at 7:45, Oliver stepped into Walter's old office. His father's old office.. And now his. It seemed surreal to him, to be standing here, dressed in one of his finest suits, when only a few months ago, he had declared before his family, the press and all the world, that he would not take his rightful place, as son and heir, at his father's company. But now, he was determined, to do whatever it would take, to preserve his late father's lifework.

Impeccably dressed in his Italian tailored grey suit, white shirt and reddish brown tie, he walked towards the windows that overlooked the city. It was still early in the morning, but the streets were already crowded with miniature people, busying themselves, on their way to work, school, an appointment, or just enjoying a day off.

Although he hadn't planned the meeting until later that morning, Oliver was restless, and felt the need to spend some time at the office first, before meeting Isabel Rochev and her team of advisors. He had sent Isabel an email, inviting her over for the meeting, which would take place at 11:30 a.m.. However, he had also requested a private meeting with her, to take place prior to their scheduled one, because he wanted to know what he was dealing with.

Sighing, he jammed his hands in the pockets of his pants, and seemed lost in thought for a few moments. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he crossed the room towards the large desk, and opened his laptop. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but before he knew it, he was browsing the internet, looking for any information on Isabel Rochev that could be of interest to him.

Scrolling page after page, he found she was born in Coast City, but spent a large part of her childhood in Siberia, where her father was stationed, working for a large oil multinational. Unfortunately, her father died when she was only eight years old, in some sort of accident on an oil platform. His body was never found, but he was assumed dead. She returned to the United States when her mother remarried, she was sixteen at the time. Oliver was impressed to see she had studied law at Harvard, but instead had become a businesswoman. Seeing the images that were spread all over the internet, he understood what Felicity had meant with these huge brown eyes. She was right, it was as if she'd be able to look directly into the depths of ones soul.

At the sound of a woman clearing her throat, he looked up from his screen, and saw Felicity standing in the doorway. "Morning, Oliver. You're early."

Oliver, being at a loss for words for a moment, let his gaze wander from the top of her head to her toes. She wore her hair down again, and wore a beautiful deep blue dress. She wore black heels, and though her dress wasn't overlong, he liked the amount of bare leg that was visible under her dress.

"Hey, Felicity. Yeah, I wanted to uhm.. Do some research before meeting this Rochev woman. You eh.. You look.. Good."

Felicity smiled at him, stepped forward and twirled in front of his desk, so he could have a better look at her. "Thanks Oliver. Your sister sure has a great taste."

"My what?"

"Your sister, Thea! She gave me the address of this great shop once, where they sell this big label stuff. I must say, I never really liked the style I'm wearing now, but your sister accompanied me to this shop once, and persuaded me to try some, and now I fear I have to buy myself a new closet, because I'm sure all this new cool stuff I bought'll never fit in my old one. Do you think my landlord would actually allow me to go and build a walk-in closet? I've always wanted one of those!"

Oliver, obviously paying no attention to her babbling, was dumbfounded.

"My sister Thea.. And you.. Have been shopping together?"

"Yeah! Theebs and I had a wonderful time. I really needed some quality time for myself, like she, after all the stress the club brought along, so we went shopping together, had lunch, did some more shopping, and ended up-"

"Theebs?"

"-at your house, eating Chinese take out, and watching some episodes of Friends."

"My sister lets you call her Theebs?"

"Uh-huh. I never really watched Friends on television, I usually only watch some Doctor Who or some BBC period dramas.."

"So, she introduced me to Friends, and before we knew it, we were right into it. You know, she's a big fan of Rachel, and I can see why.. She always looks good, but I sort of felt I had a bond with Phoebe.."

"I'm not surprised.."

"You're not?"

"Nope. I think you two have a lot in common. It's just that.. Frankly, I didn't see your friendship coming."

"Neither did I. Well in fact er could say the same about ours, for that matter, right? As far as everyone knows, we don't even know eachother. Except for Walter, Thea and your mom, of course. You told them we were friends, that day at the hospital.."

When everything was still as it should have been, Oliver thought. Not for the fact that he had just learned what his mother and Malcolm Merlyn were capable of, but for the fact that Tommy was still alive. Oh what he would give if he could step back in time!

"Hello? Earth to Oliver?" Felicity's voice drew Oliver from his grim thoughts. He hadn't realized Felicity was still talking to him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I was asking you, what your plans for today were, except for our scheduled meeting at eleven thirty with the wicked witch."

"I'm about to meet her when she arrives at the office."

And at that exact moment, Isabel Rochev stepped into Oliver's office. "Mr. Queen, I hear you've been expecting me. Miss Smoak," and with a nod into Felicity's direction, she stepped forward and held out her hand to Oliver.

"Isabel Rochev, pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, miss Rochev," Oliver kindly shook hands with Isabel, a little surprised at the firm handshake she gave him.

"Always a pleasure, right in the lion's den," Felicity murmured, soft enough that they didn't hear. Oliver, however, did hear, and winked at her. She then turned, and walked out of his office, silently closing the door behind her.

"Miss Rochev, do take a seat," Oliver offered, motioning her to the couch on the left side of his office. "Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, water?"

"Coffee would be nice, thank you. Sugar, no milk."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he turned towards his desk, and pressed the intercom. "Two coffee please, Margaret."

Unbuttoning his single- breasted jacket, he sat down comfortably in one of the chairs opposite the couch, where Isabel Rochev was sitting. They were silent for some minutes, looking at eachother, neither of them moving or looking away.

When Margaret, one of the secretaries, came into the office, carrying a tray with coffee cups, he looked up, took the tray from her, and carefully placed the coffee cups on the small coffee table. Offering her coffee, he held out some sugar, too. Taking her coffee cup in both hands, she leaned back, and looked up at him again, as if studying his face.

"Mr Queen, what exactly can I do for you?"

"Miss Rochev. I would like to discuss with you what brings you here, to my company. As you might know, I have been away for some time, and only just returned. Upon my return, I heard rumors, unpleasant rumors, and I want to know whether they are true or not."

"Mr Queen, the truth is that your company has lost its profits through the years. Queen Consolidated is struggling to survive, you're dealing with financial and administrative problems. And I don't just mean some minor problems. We're talking about billions of dollars here."

"I am sure that, when the markets.."

"Companies rise and fall. Mr Queen, your company has fallen. I have a proposition for you, one you cannot refuse, I'm afraid."

"I was afraid you were going to say that. However, Queen Consolidated is not for sale."

"I'm afraid you don't understand-"

At that exact same moment, Felicity peeped her head through the door. "Excuse me, Mr Queen, Miss Rochev? I'd like to remind you that the meeting is due in fifteen minutes."

Gesturing her to come in, Oliver returned his attention to Isabel Rochev. "Miss Rochev, I may not be well-informed on how things work when a company suffers some bad times, but believe me, I am not giving up on it," Oliver said, standing up from his seat.

"It takes courage to say that, Mr Queen," Isabel answered. She had also risen from her seat, and made her way around the coffee table, and then stood still, mere inches away from him, before she added "or complete foolishness."

"What's life without a little challenge?"

"Upon your return home, after those five years you spent on that deserted island, I saw you in every news item, in every magazine, and in every gossip blog on the internet. It seemed to me, you were a vain, imprudent and spoiled rich kid. When I first got here, I thought you would relent, only too glad to pass on your family's business, so you could continue your emptyheaded playboy adventures. But it seems I was wrong. You are not all what people say about you."

"Most people fail to see the real me."

"So it would seem. Mr Queen, if you'll excuse me, our meeting is in fifteen minutes, I'd like to discuss some matters of importance with my team. I will see you in the conference room.."

"On the eighteenth floor."

He watched Isabel walk graciously towards the door, swaying her hips, her dress a little too tight for her voluptuous body.

"Oh, and Mr Queen," she turned towards him, her hand on the doorknob. "Just so you know. I like a little challenge as well, from time to time. Be prepared."

Chuckling, she opened the door, and disappeared. But before she was out of earshot, he shot back at her, "I'm not sure which one of us should be prepared, miss Rochev, but you should know that I am no more likely to change to suit you than you are to suit me. Besides, I rarely lose. And I aim to keep it that way."

**A.N.: Eek! There you have her, our main villain! What do you think? I know this chapter is a bit short, but stay tuned the next few days for an update. Please, keep reviewing guys. Your ideas and feedback keep me going. **


	6. Flying missiles and new courses

**A.N.: Here I am again, you guys missed me? Guess I didn't let you wait too long for an update this time, right? Actually I was planning on posting this chapter last Friday, in celebration of the newly released promotion stills of episode 2x01: City of heroes! So much Olicity goodness there, I love it! It makes the wait somewhat more bearable, don't you think? Anyway, thanks again for reviewing, subscribing and favoriting, I really appreciate it.**

**Kat:**

**Like it:-) wonder what felicity will find to help save the company... Or is Oliver going to show he also has a head for strategy?**

**How does Roy find out about the hood?**

**You've set yourself a bit of a challenge with the Thea/Roy mix and company... Keep going :-)**

Hmm I haven't really figured it out yet who, how or if they're going to save the company, but I do want Roy to find out who the Hood (or Arrow) is. I'm working on it though. At first I just wanted to introduce Roy and Thea, just to make sure Oliver doesn't come back and everything continues like all these months and his absence never happened, but I'm positive now that we haven't seen all of Thea and Roy yet!

**Starlight night:**

**I really love this story. It has such a great premise. I'm glad that you have them gradually building back up their relationship, diving right back in wouldn't look very good for Felicity.**

Thanks! I thought it best for them to start off slow, and who knows where they'll end up to? I haven't really figured it out yet, it's like one big journey I'm taking with them, it's huge, but so much fun!

** Awesomepossum328:**

***slow chanting* update. Update. Update. Update. Update. **

**You know, I used to like Oliver and Laurel as a couple, then I liked Oliver and Felicity as a couple, since I figure Laurel and Tommy were gonna be together forever (especially after that one episode with the little boy that Laurel kind of adopted after his parents were murdered. Except for, you know, the end) Arrow does that to me! I think I like one pairing and then I'm off on another! That rarely happens! Anyways, your story is good and you NEED to update. Like right now.**

And here it is! I hope I can make you to stick around the Olicity ship.. There are monsters out there. Take care ;-) But I know what you mean. I had the same feeling about Laurel and Ollie, because you know, I didn't know better. Until Oliver walked into Felicity's office with that laptop.. Love at first bullet riddled laptop :-) just how I like it.

**MC:**

**Yet again another great chapter. I loved that felicity gets to call Thea theebs, hilarious and even ollie is surprised by that, nice touch. And I love the new big bad, Isabel rochev, she seems like she will be real trouble, great job, look forward to the next chapter.**

Thanks! I was hoping people would feel this way, although I feel kinda awkward sometimes when I write my chapters.. Sometimes I'm afraid that, in certain parts, it's a bit too much.. I'm glad I'm wrong though (for now, at least)!

**CassandraBlake:**

**I love how Felicity's nickname for Thea is Theebs and Oliver is just dumbfounded about the whole thing. I'm staying tuned.**

I just couldn't resist the nickname, I had one of those spending-the-entire-afternoon-browsing-YouTube-for -Friends-videos attack.. Hopefully I won't disappoint you ;-)

**Jean Deere:**

**i can't wait for more please!**

Here you go, I hope you like this one as well!

**Dianitachiva:**

**I like Walter, he's a good man!**

**Felicity/Thea together... That's waeird for me!**

**I know, Olicity slow (In the show, yes, but, in the paper in complicated)**

**I can't wait for the next...**

I'm glad you still like what I put together :-) I know, we all need to get used to Thea and Felicity I think, but how cool would it be if they were actually friends? Anyway, I need her for some upcoming chapters. Hope you like this chapter as well!

**Chapter 6 - Flying missiles and new courses**

"What was that all about?" Still looking pointedly at the door, Felicity raised her eyebrows. "What's her problem?" Raising her thumb to gesture towards the door, she added. "Think she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?"

"Who knows? Let's go, I'm dying to meet her 'team of advisors,', though I highly doubt she'll need any of them; she doesn't seem the type of person who takes anyone's advice."

"Neither are you."

"Humpf. There's only one way to find out, shall we?" With a frown, he opened the door, and let Felicity move past him. When they stood waiting for the elevator, Oliver turned towards her, his hands clasped on his back. "Felicity? Please remind me when your first half year as Head of IT is over," the elevator doors opened, and they both stepped in. Watching the elevator doors close, he added, "because someone is bound to get a job performance review in the following days."

The look of surprise on Felicity's face when she turned to him as almost comical. He looked away from her, trying not to chuckle, and instead focussed on the elevator doors sliding open. They had arrived on the eighteenth floor.

When they entered the conference room, some people had already ensembled in it, among them was Isabel Rochev. Diggle was also present; he stood on the left side, right behind the chairman's seat. Nodding to both Oliver and Felicity, he stood motionless, hands clasped in front of him, his eyes discreetly staring into the distance.

Oliver walked towards the table, in the middle of the conference room, and took a seat at the head of the table, being chairman. Felicity sat on his left, Isabel Rochev on his right. Miss Rochev introduced every member of her team of advisors, who sat at the remaining chairs around the table. She looked up a couple of times, her eyes fixed upon the door, as if she was expecting someone.

However, five minutes after their meeting had begun, there was a knock on the door. Diggle made a movement, wanting to walk to the door and check who it was, but didn't get the chance to; the person behind the door opened it himself.

Dressed in a black suit, no tie, and the top buttons of his shirt open, a man in his mid-thirties stepped into the conference room. "I'm sorry I'm late, people, there were some odds and ends I had to take care of at the company" he excused himself, and quickly scanned the room with his piercing brown eyes. Taking a seat next to Isabel, he opened his briefcase, and pulled out a brown leather notebook. He opened the notebook, turned a view pages, and slid the open notebook across the table, to his left, where Isabel sat. She let her gaze wander across the teo pages, and then looked up, making eye contact with him. He gave her a small smile, and quietly whispered to her, "Everything is taken care of, Miss Rochev," and then glanced to Oliver, who nodded. Then he looked at Felicity, and gave her a wide smile.

Debating whether he should rip his head of, or hit him in his smug face, Oliver gritted his teeth. This guy obviously fancied her, and though she smiled back at him, she didn't seem as enthusiastic as he was. Good for you, asshole, he thought.

"Mr Queen, this is my assistent, Edward Rockwell."

Reaching across the table to shake hands, Mr Rockwell smiled politely at Oliver. "Pleased to meet you, Mr Queen."

Oliver couldn't bring himself to answer back, so instead he merely nodded. Slimy asshole, with his sweaty palms. Oliver's eyes narrowed. He'd better stay away from his company and Felicity. He sensed somehow that this man wasn't all he appeared to be.

"Alright, now that we have all been introduced, let's proceed, shall we?" Oliver let his gaze wander across the table, and when no one interfered, he cleared his throat.

But before he could say anything, the door burst open and three masked and armed men made their way into the conference room. Their guns loaded, they immediately opened fire, aiming at everything and everyone in the room.

Quickly dugging towards the floor, Oliver reached out for Felicity, who had slid to the floor as well. Isabel Rochev and her team were on hands and knees as well, while Diggle had their back and shot back at the intruders. And even though they were outnumbered, Diggle was more skilled than they were, and before they knew it, he was getting the better of them.

Gripping his hands more securely, Felicity looked at Oliver, looking for that gleam in his eyes, the kind of look he always had when he was so close to battle, when he was ready to act. But his eyes were cold, and instead of focusing on the gunplay that took place above their heads, his eyes sought hers, to make sure she was alright.

In the midst of all chaos, Isabel and her assistent managed to slip away, unseen by her team of advisors, but Oliver did notice. He found it odd, that without being noticed by the intruders, they were able to get away safely.

A few minutes later, though it seemed like hours, the gunfire stopped. Panting, Diggle patted the surface of the table, as if signaling it was all over. "We're okay," he said, and unloaded his gun. "You two go on, I'll clean up this mess."

Some time later, after the police had taken everyone's statements and had let, Felicity and Diggle stepped into Oliver's office, and found him staring at his laptop screen, lost in thought. Diggle cleared his throat, to get his attention, but he sat still, as if he wasn't aware of their presence. "Everything's fine now, Oliver. No one got harmed, though I can't say the same about the interior decoration of the conference room.. I got rid of the bodies, the police took 'em, there'll be some investigations going on here, and I had some serious talk with your Head of Security. He assured me that none of this will ever happen again, but just to make sure, I wanna stick with you at all times. Now's not a favorable time after all, to be a Queen.."

Oliver still hadn't shown any sign of being aware of their presence. Felicity took a step closer to him, waving her hand in front of his eyes. He blinked then, and looked up at them.

"Hey man, you okay?" Diggle informed, stepping closer as well, a concerned look in his eyes.

Shrugging, Oliver stood and casually leaned his hip against his desk. "Define okay, please."

"Oliver, what happened in there.."

"Is none of our concern, Felicity. It happened, we lived, and now, let's move on."

"What is wrong with you you? Oliver, you act like this is just everyday business to you! I'm telling you, there is something about Isabel, she's.. Ugh. Don't you think it odd she got away in the midst of that bullet fire?"

"Yeah, I think it's odd, but what can I do about it?"

"Oliver, there's something about her that's just not right. I told you, yesterday, about her name being in your father's note-"

"Not again, Felicity!"

"It's in there for a reason, Oliver! And no matter what tricks you think you can pull, you'll never get away from her, WE are never getting away from her, if she eventually gets her way, and she will!"

"Felicity, it's no use, he doesn't want-"

"Guys, stop. I told you! I did not come back to Starling City, to be the vigilante!"

Diggle stood, his arms crossed, and looked his friend in the eye, "And I respect that."

Felicity suddenly moved, and leaned against the other side of Oliver's desk, "I don't!", she said, leaving no room for anyone of them to cut her off. "I want you to come with me, both of you. Diggle, it's time we show Oliver what we have been working on."

And so, fifteen minutes later, they found themselves in the basement of club Verdant. Felicity let the men walk down the stairs in front of her, and when they reached the bottom of the chairs, she turned the lights on.

"As you can see, I've made a few improvements down here.." 'A few' was quite an understatement, because the basement was nearly unrecognisable. Everything was high-tech. The computersystems had been upgraded, all his arrows were sorted and on display. His disguise and quiver were on display in a glass display box, and beside it, in a wooden container, lay his bow. Picking it up, he turned his wrist to all sides, studying the object that lay in his hand, as if it was the first time he held it.

Felicity stood behind him, patiently, and watched him wander around the room. Right behind the desk with computer screens was the training area, with shining new instruments. Felicity had gotten the very best of the best.

Diggle stood on the opposite side of the room, observing Oliver, and the way he reacted to all this. Though he tried to keep his emotions in check, it was clear that Oliver was amazed at what he saw, and the amount of work both Diggle and Felicity had done to upgrade their 'Arrow cave', or 'lair'.

"Felicity insisted on drastically upgrading the lair, so when you'd come back, you'd recommence your activities as the Hood.."

Oliver nodded, and taking one final look at his surroundings, he turned towards Felicity. "You were right, last evening, when you said that I could once again be the vigilante. I'm just not sure- Please don't interupt me," he said, and Felicity, whose lips had parted indignantly, quickly closed her mouth again.

"The truth is, that I am still aching and suffering from these emotional wounds of that night, wounds that may never properly heal, and will most definately leave their scars. I refuse to be what I was. But I know I cannot continue this way either. You have convinced me, both of you, that this is the course I'll have to embark upon. It will not be easy, but with your help, I think I can manage to become more than what I was. A man in which both my father and Tommy would have trusted."

"And you have it," Diggle answered.

"Unconditionaly," Felicity added, eyes glowing with pride and unshed tears.

Taking on of the displayed arrows into his hand, he absentmindedly turned it around in his fingers. "There's only one problem though. I don't want to be called the Hood anymore."

"So what do you want to be called?", Diggle asked, slightly amused by the sudden change in Oliver. It wasn't the right moment yet to celebrate the victory of Oliver's return, but it was a start.

Examining the arrow, Oliver suddenly grinned. "I remember, long ago, when Malcolm Merlyn joined my family for dinner, that we discussed various possibilities of names for the vigilante. He brought up Green Arrow. I thought it was lame. Still do, actually. So I was thinking.. Arrow."

"Then Arrow it is! Welcome back into our little team, man," Diggle held out his hand, and Oliver clasped it with both his hands. Looking over at Felicity, he smiled at her, and she let her tears freely fall down her cheeks.

The next few hours were spent on working on a strategy, and they quickly decided on what they all agreed to: Felicity would accompany them in the field, not on a regular basis per se, but from time to time. And even though she had only been in the field a couple of times before, Oliver and Diggle were certain that she would manage. She would train daily with either of them, and would learn how to use a gun. She wasn't overjoyed by that decision, but she did understand that it would be necessary to defend herself in all circumstances.

Their absolute priority would be to save Queen Consolidated from going down. Not only to preserve Oliver's family business, but also to ensure new jobs could be created for the families in the Glades. That would enhance their chance to rebuild the city, but it would also help them to ascertain the Queen family name would once again be free of stain after all that had happened.

Oliver would convince the board to dispose of all the branches which had been driven too far into the red. It would be foolish to hold on to these. Felicity would keep an eye on the stockmarkets, and invest into promising funds, which would lead to more money. That would help them save the company. Then, they would invest the money the had obtained on the stockmarket to create new jobs, and hire people from the Glades. They had even planned a charity concert, to raise money for the renovation and rebuilding.

"Oliver, we need to find out what Isabel Rochev is planning on in order to take over the company, that way we can act quicker. Do you still have these eavesdropping arrows of yours?"

Oliver nodded, but thought it unwise to take the risk using them. For all the police knew, the vigilante already had contact with one of Queen Consolidated's employees. If they would find one of his arrows near Isabel Rochev's office at Stellmoor International, it'd be easy enough to come to the conclusion that there's no coincidence whatsoever.

"I have a better plan. It's still risky, but we have to try. We break in."

"Are you nuts?," Felicity inquired. "There's no way you can possibly break into her office, with the security cameras installed on every corner of the building. If one of these break down or suffer an error, another camera takes over. I tried hacking its system just now, but it's no use; these systems are as well protected as the White House!"

"I cannot help but wonder why, it's obvious now that they have something to hide at Stellmoor International. Are these cameras installed in every office?"

"Nope, I mean, there are some security measures inside the offices, but they are quite easy to switch off. They run on a different system. Guess they think their regular security system in the hallways is sufficient enough, and it is! Oliver, there's no way you can just walk in and stomp right into her office, it's crazy!"

"I wasn't talking about walking."

"Then how are you planning to get in?"

Oliver gave her a slanted smile, and opened a drawer, and took a cable out of it. "We get in through the window."

Felicity blinked once, then twice, before she answered him. "We?"

"Felicity, I need you down there; remember the trick you pulled at Merlyn Global Group, or at the casino? I need you to hack into Isabel's computer, to find out what she's up to."

"Oliver, do you have any idea on which floor her office is? It's on the 25th! Unless you want to dress up as a window cleaner, I seriously have no clue about how you -not me- are going to come in."

"There's no need for playing dress up, not today. And. You. Are. Coming. With. Me."

"Ugh. You know that if you'd kindly ask, people would be more willing to do something for you?"

"Please."

"Okay," she peeped, once again cursing herself, wondering why she had just agreed to help him.


	7. Breaking in

**A.N.:Two more weeks until season two begins! Are you as excited as I am? Here's a new chapter, though it's not that big. I'm planning on posting anothe chapter on October 2. It's going to be a larger one, I promise. And a huge tease, I can tell you that. I can't wait to read your reactions! But until then, here's chapter 7. Thabnks a lot once again for reviewing, subscribing, etc. Please let them keep coming, especially the comments! I'm reaaaaaally hungry haha!**

**endobaby  
I love it...can't wait for more.**  
Thanks! I hope you like this chapter.

**CassandraBlake (Guest)  
Loved it. I did hear that Felicity's past might be in future episodes, and I was wondering if you'd make up a back story about her. Maybe like were her Mom and Dad are rich and Mob Bosses and they cross paths. I do**n't know I just think they make Felicity weaker than what she really is.  
Thanks Cassandra! Ooh I didn't have plans on that yet, but it sounds like a fun option! I'll think about it, thanks fir the suggestion!

**heart0fgold  
hey this is really good, so keen for season 2 of arrow. i like how you haven't jumped into olicity and let normal life carry on**  
Thanks a bunch for the compliment! Yeah, it didn't feel right to me to have them jump into eachother's arms right away.. There's so much more to them, and I'm 100% positive that Felicity isn't that kind of girl anyway..

**bjq  
AWESOME**  
Wow, what can I say? A big THANK YOU :-)

**MC (Guest)  
Yay, another great chapter, loved how you let Oliver choose his new name, Arrow. And how sly is Isabel rochev? Slipping out when no one was looking... Wonder what trouble she has brewing. Anyway, this is a wonderful installment to this awesome fic, I hope u update soon.**  
Hey MC, thanks again for yet another wonderful, supportive review! I'm not quite sure yet what Isabel is up to, but believe me, she'll be quite a piece of work! Trouble will be everywhere, I hope..

**Chapter 7 - Breaking in**

Two hours later, Felicity and Oliver stood at the top of the Stellmoor International building. Felicity had managed to turn off the security in Isabel's office manually back at the foundry, so there wouldn't be any problem there. Diggle had volunteered to stay behind, to keep an eye on the security cams, but as it was almost seven o'clock in the evening, most employees had left to go home. At least the 25th floor was cleared, that was the most important.

The building 'only' counted 27 floors. Felicity found however, to her frustration, that she was still afraid of heights. Trying to control her breath, she failed miserably. Oliver's arm around her waist didn't help much either.

"Okay, you ready?"

"No.."

"Just.. Don't let go of me, alright? Everything's going to be fine."

Felicity looked up at him, giving him a shaky smile "Never. Let's do this then.."

Before she knew it, Oliver jumped and had launched the two of them into the air. Felicity had to bite her lips to prevent herself from screaming, while she pretended this was just like any other rollercoaster ride in her favourite themepark. The problem was actually that she didn't have a favourite themepark. And she didn't like rollercoaster rides. At all. Even commercials on TV in which a rollercoaster was featured, made her sick. For a moment they were swaying dangerously, and with a loud bang they came through the window of Isabel's office. Small pieces of glass shattered around them. Briefly stumbling upon a desk, they fell to the ground.

Shakily, Felicity looked up, and cautiously moved her fingers, her toes, her neck. 'Oh good,' she thought, 'I'm still alive and, as it would appear, still in one piece'. Feeling Oliver's callused hand suddenly enveloping hers, she turned towards him, noticing he hadn't suffered as much as a scratch as well.

They nodded to eachother, a signal they were both okay. As Oliver helped her stand, he pressed his earpiece, and told Diggle they were in. Felicity immediately moved to place the computer monitor back on the desk, and went to work. Oliver moved around the room, opened drawers, cupboards, but couldn't find anything that might be of interest.

Felicity's frown however, grew deeper and deeper while she worked. When Oliver moved to stand behind her, his eyes widened in shock. Felicity had copied hundreds of documents to her USB hard drive, and was now browsing through them.

Felicity was now reading Isabel Rochev's letter of resignation as Vice President of Acquisitions. Obviously, she had been planning this for months; as reason for resigning, she listed that she now had a new challenge: being CEO of Queen Consolidated, no less. Felicity found out that Isabel had secretly been money laundering and channeling dirty money to a Swiss bankaccount of her own, for months.

"Oliver.. This is illegal! We have to tell the police!"

"And what exactly do you propose we tell them? No, they'll know instantly we were behind this mess. We have to take this info with us, Felicity, and examine it more closely. And then, we'll act. Eventually."

Felicity removed her USB stick from the computer, along with any traces of her roaming through the data. Oliver opened several drawers and threw out various objects, to make it look like a robbery.

When he was satisfied with his work, he pressed his earpiece again. "Digg, we're coming back, please check if there's any chance we could get caught."

"No living soul present, Oliver, you're clear to go."

Taking Felicity by the hand, he lead her towards the window again. "I really hope this way of operating is not a habit of yours, or becoming one, because I've had my fair share of windows by now, Oliver," Felicity wasn't exactly enthusiastic about exiting the building again through the window. Oliver just chuckled and curved his arm around her waist. Lifting her up unto the windowsill, he turned around one last time before he stepped unto the windowsill himself.

Felicity had been right, there was more to Isabel Rochev than she had everyone believe. They would get to the bottom of this, and she would pay for her actions, whatever her plans were.

"Shit, Oliver! Get out, get out now! There's security coming your way!"

"What?! How is that possible," Oliver growled, grabbing Felicity by the hand, and pulling her to stand on the floor. Felicity turned towards the door, half expecting it to burst open, but nothing happened. Yet.

"What do we do now, Oliver?", Felicity whispered, as if she was afraid that, if she talked out loud, they would be discovered any moment..

"Guys, exit through the window, and lower yourself to the second floor. Security is at a minimum there. You can exit the building there, there's a bike shed you can jump onto. From there, you can easily leave the grounds around the office. Since there's no back entrance, there are no security cameras in sight there."

Oliver immediatly directed Felicity towards the window again, grabbed the line and enveloped Felicity's small waist, pulling her close.

"Hold on to me tight, Felicity.."

"You're doing this on purpose, right?" Felicity squeeked, tightening her hold on his neck.

Sighing, Oliver lowered them to the second floor, and entered it in the same style as they had entered Isabel's office, though this time, it was less dramatic, and he held onto her, trying to shield her from the glass shattering into small pieces around them.

"Come on," he barked, as they got to their feet. He grabbed her by the elbow, and steered her towards the door. "Digg, I need some directions.."

"You're headed west, turn north!"

Oliver propelled Felicity into the right direction, and pulled her, then dragged her, along, making sure she ran as fast as he did, so he wouldn't lose her.

Panting, Felicity cursed herself for not changing outfits while she had the chance before they had left on this insane mission. Though her tight blue dress and high heels were perfect for work, they weren't exactly made for running around offices you weren't supposed to be at, while being chased by security guards.

Struggling to keep up with him, she stumbled, and nearly fell to the floor, but managed to regain her balance, thanks to Oliver, who tugged at her hand, keeping her upright.

Finally, they reached the windows on the far north side of the second floor. Through here, the windows could easily be opened. The bike shed turned out to be a rather large outbuilding, and its roof could easily be reached through the windows they were standing next to.

Already hearing muffled screaming and running foutsteps, though still far away, approaching them, Oliver acted without giving it another thought. He opened the largest window to his right, climbed on top of the window sill, and jumped towards the bike shed. It wasn't that much of a deal, and as he landed a few seconds later, he felt triumphant. Turned out he still had it in him, and he was thankful for it.

Turning towards the window again, he held out his hand to Felicity. "Come on, Felicity, you can do it!"

Felicity, who had climbed upon the window sill as well, wasn't so sure about that.

"You know, Oliver, as much as I'd like to believe you, you seem to forget you're someone who's been jumping off rooftops, cars and God knows what quite a lot, and that's not me. Remember, I'm the computer genius, who jumps very rarely, that's, well.. If you don't count my little victory dances after, you know.. Ugh, forget it, I'm not making any sense.."

"Felicity, as much as I delight in our little conversation, YOU seem to forget that you're standing on a window sill, and I'm standing on a rooftop. Now if you please just listen-"

"I'm nervous, okay? P.E. was never my favourite subject in school..."

"Hurry now, please, those guards can arrive any time!"

"Oliver?"

"Whát?!"

"Catch me, will you?" And before he knew it, he held her in his arms again.

"See, Ms. computer genius? That wasn't too bad?"


	8. Lunch dates and afternoon drinks

**A.N.: Hi guys, it's me again! I know I said I wouldn't be updating until tomorrow, when we reach the one week deadline before the start of season 2! But, tomorrow I have to leave early in the morning, and because I only have little free time tomorrow, I decided to update tonight.**

**This is a longer chapter (yay!) and also a big tease.. You'll know when you reach the end of this chapter.. I think most of you can't stand the cliffhanger :-) Please know that I now officialy ran out of pre-written chapters. I have nothing left to post - yet. Don't worry, I'm full of ideas and inspiration, I just need to find the the time to type it all out. Please be patient with me ;-) Thanks again for your wonderful, supportive reviews:**

**Dianitachiva**

**Cute and funny!**

**I loved that last...**

Thanks, Dianitachiva! I'm sure you'll enjoy this chapter!

**DamonSalvatorelover789**

**Loved it please write more soon!:)**

Thank you :-) I hope you like my newest chapter.

**CassandraBlake (Guest) **

**Love it I want a lot more please.**

Hi Cassandra, here you go! I'm curious about what you think of this one!

**endobaby**

**Eeee...thanks for the update...loving it**

Thanks for the review! :-)

**Starlight night (Guest) **

**That was great! Can't wait for the next chapter. I like how**

**you write the dialog between Felicity and Oliver. The characters in the show are either extremely serious or really playful, I think that you effectively portray that.**

Dear Starlight night, thanks so much for this huge compliment, it means a lot! Compliments like this are a writer's dreams come true!

**Alright all, one more week. I thought I could manage (barely) until I saw that preview clip yesterday.. The island, Olicity.. Argh it was just too much! My Olicity shipping heart can't take much more any longer! However, your reviews will help me get through yet one more week. Please let me know what you think! P.S. Please don't ask me why I called it ****_afternoon_**** drinks.. When I started writing this chapter, I thought it sounded good.. I'm too lazy to re-schedule the date, so I'm leaving it is!**

**Chapter 8 - Lunch dates and afternoon drinks**

The following morning, Felicity sat behind her desk, sipping her latte, while working away a pile of files that had been lying around for days.

Thank God it was Friday. Though she had quickly fallen back into her routine of working at the office and working for the Hood - or rather Arrow - she felt tired, she could use some distraction from her every day stuff.

Now that a lot of co-workers had left the office, many colleagues that still remained came by for a chat, or questions they needed to be answered, and not all of them were IT related. The truth is, now that Oliver had returned, there was talk. Not particularly about Oliver or his family, but his company. They were sure Oliver had returned for a reason, perhaps Stellmoor International taking over the company? Was it true then? And what had these armed men to do with it? And poor Felicity had been in the middle of it! They all questioned her about it, and everyone made their own conclusions.

Her phone had rang a couple of times, but she hadn't noticed. She had too much stuff to do, and because she wanted to take the afternoon off, she only allowed herself to do so if her desk was clear of the pile of files.

"Liz! You're here! Why didn't you pick up your phone? I was ready to send security up to your office!" Startled, Felicity looked up from her work. Thea! Shit, shit, shit! Their lunch date, she had completely forgotten about that!

"Theebs! Oh my God, I am SO sorry! What time is it?" Her eyes flew to her computer screen, and she realized with horror that it was well past two. They had agreed to meet in the lobby at 1:00 p.m.!

"Shit! Wait, just let me-"

Chuckling, Thea sat down across Felicity's desk. "Don't bother, Felicity. You know as well as I do that you're the real workaholic of the two of us. I figured you'd be really busy, so.. Instead of taking you for lunch, I took your lunch to you," and with a theatrical movement, she held up two paper bags, both containing a sandwich and a fresh, hot latte.

"Oh, Starbucks, yum!" Felicity eagerly took one of the bags from her friend, and pulled out its containings. They ate and chatted, giggled and crumbled.

"You know, I was planning on taking you out, into town to do some girl stuff, you know.. Shopping, maybe watch a movie, getting drunk.."

At that exact same moment, Oliver stepped into Felicity's office, overhearing his baby sister while she continued. "But! My brother obviously wants you to overwork yourself. Jeez, that pile of files sure looks dusty, exactly how long has it been lying there? Is he too lazy to pick up some of those and actually work, instead of pretending to be running a business?"

"I heard that Speedy, and I'd like to inform you, I do work. Actually, you should know that, currently, I'm at work, running said business, you obviously aren't.. What are you doing here?"

"Well, instead of spending a rather large amount of time in my bed, pressing the snooze button over and over again, I decided to come here and meet a friend of mine, who happens to be one of your employees, and she is also your.. Friend?" The question, though not quite subtle, did not go unnoticed by both Felicity and Oliver.

"Thea, Felicity and I are just friends. Will you stop prying into my personal life? Or what's left of it, anyway."

"Whatever. You're not as much fun as you used to be, anyway," she fired back, leaning casually against the armrest of her chair, her head cocked to one side. She had crossed her arms, and her eyes were tingling with a mixture of innocence and a mischievousness, clearly challenging her brother. "You're all business suits, paper smell and dust nowadays. So boring!"

"Ugh. Please go tire someone else, okay? Felicity, you can take the rest of the day off if you like. The place is nearly deserted, I think I'm going to call it a day myself as well."

"But.."

"The pile and its dust are not going anywhere. Come on, log off and have some fun with this.. Whirlwind." Gesturing into Thea's direction, he turned to leave. Suddenly, he bumped into a man's frame, and nearly knocked him over. "Mr Queen! Forgive me."

As Oliver bent to pick up the notebook he had knocked out of the man's hands, another hand shot down and quickly grabbed the object from the floor before Oliver could reach it. Bristling, Oliver stood face to face with Edward Rockwell.

"No harm done, Mr Rockwell. Ladies," he nodded towards his sister and Felicity, and then moved past Edward. When he rounded the corner, he stood still and turned, pressed his back onto the wall and turned his face towards Felicity's office, so he could keep an eye on this Rockwell fellow, who had stepped into Felicity's office. And though he was out of sight, he wasn't out of earshot.

"Miss Smoak, I'm surprised you're still here, it's a Friday after all."

Thea raised an eyebrow at him, while muttering, "No shit, dumbass."

"Mr Rockwell, I-"

"Edward."

"Edward. As you can see, my friend has come to pick me up." A little annoyed, Felicity stood up and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. Bending over her keyboard to log off and shut down her computer, Edward Rockwell took a few paces towards her desk, both his hands in his pockets.

"Felicity. May I call you Felicity? Okay, well Felicity, uhm.. Knowing that now is not a good time, would you like to have a drink with me tomorrow?"

Before meeting his gaze, Felicity shot Thea an unsure glance, careful to keep her emotions in check. "Are you asking me out, sir?"

"On the contrary, miss Smoak. Although.. Well I just figured that, now that there's a high chance we will be seeing eachother a lot in the near future, now that the first meetings are over, concerning the.. Well, you know.. Queen Consolidated being taken over.. I thought it would be nice for the two of us to get to know eachother."

Felicity was at a loss for words at the moment. Blast it, if only she had called her mother last week to ask if she could drop by, for some tea and catching up? She was a terrible liar, and now she had no excuse to come up with to reject his proposal.

"Alright, I guess.."

"Cool. So, meet me at Sweets & Salts at eleven sharp tomorrow? See ya then. Have a nice day." And as quickly as he had entered her office, he went in his way.

"Smooth. Think he'd let you call him Eddie?" Felicity chuckled, and walked around her desk towards her friend.

"I'll let you know if he does. Come on, Theebs, let's go shopping," she said, while she laid her right arm around Thea's shoulders, and walked with her towards the elevators.

Once they reached the ground floor, they took the staircase towards the underground parkinglot. It was nearly deserted, only few cars were still parked down there, including Felicity's red Mini. She rummaged through the contents of her purse, and when she found what she was looking for, she lifted her hand and threw her keys to the younger woman.

"You drive, I have some messages that need to be replied to."

"You sure? The last time someone let me drive, I hit a tree, and next thing I knew I was lying in the hospital with a concussion, and the car was total-loss."

"Definately sure. Don't worry, you'll do fine", Felicity countered, trying to make Thea feel confident again about her driving skills. True, she was young, and didn't have much experience, but it was the middle of the day, and more importantly: she was sober. Felicity figured it would do her good, and it also allowed herself the opportunity to send Oliver a text, undisturbed.

Strapping on the seatbelt, Felicity immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked the home screen, finding a message from Oliver in her inbox.

_Have a good time you two. Make sure you keep an eye on Thea though, she might get a little too excited during sale time. _

Felicity chuckled, and hit reply.

_Will do. I'll try to reign her in, but her enthusiasm is contagious. Any particular shops you'd want us to avoid then?_

Within two minutes after she had sent her text message to Oliver, her phone vibrated, signaling she had received another message.

_I would like you to avoid Rockwell. I don't trust the guy._

Slightly annoyed, she hit reply again and sighed. He didn't have a say in any of this, after all.

_I'm a grown up woman, Mr Queen, I can take care of myself quite well, thank you very much._

Quickly afterwards, she received another message.

_I don't mean it that way. I know what you are capable of. It is him I don't trust._

Felicity shook her head, chuckling. He had no idea.

"What's so funny?", Thea asked, glancing at Felicity and her phone.

"Your brother. Keep your eyes on the road, Theebs, it's a Friday after all, traffic can be a total mess at times.

Your brother warned me to keep you close, otherwise you'll buy out an entire shop."

Thea grinned at that, and returned her attention to the road ahead of her. "He knows me so well."

Felicity let her eyes drop to the screen of her phone. Hastily, she typed a final reply.

_Let's talk about this when I get back. Meet you guys at the Foundry at 10._

#- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #o-

After spending a ridiculous amount of time shopping, Felicity dropped Thea off at the mansion after they had finished their supper at Jade Dragon. Felicity, who had pretended having an awful headache, quickly texted Oliver and Diggle that she was on her way.

When she decended the stairs at the Foundry, she found both men working out in the training area. Their naked torsos showed beads of sweat shimmering in the pale light that shone from the ceiling. Panting, they finished their sparring round, just when Felicity had taken her familiar spot at the desk.

"So, any particulars on some bad guy you want me to trace?"

Oliver grabbed a towel and moved to stand behind Felicity, his bodyheat warming her back, or was she just imagining things? She sensed his hard body, so close to her, as he leaned over her shoulder and pointed towards the computer screen.

"Ethan Morgan. He's been terrorizing the west side of the Glades for weeks. He breaks into shops, community centres.. Even in the houses of so many defenseless families. He threatens people, he damages electricity wires and telephone lines on purpose.."

"A real pain in the ass. If you wouldn't know better, you'd think he's just a teenager, looking for some trouble," Digg added, who had come to stand next to Oliver.

"It's a good thing we know better than that. I just put up some information on him.. Seems he's been quite a busy bee; three months for intimidation, two years for rape.. This guy's sick."

"About time we'd teach him a lesson. Felicity, could you track him for me?"

"On it. His phone number's right here.. Let's see.. Gotcha! His last signal's from Newland, just eighteen minutes ago."

Oliver immediately took his hood and put it in his dufflebag, grabbed his helmet and took the stairs two at a time.

Twenty-five minutes later.

"Felicity, I'm at Newland right now, give me some directions."

Oliver's voice sounded loud and clear in her ear, while she typed away. "I see you. Go straight and turn on the second left. You should see an old schoolbuilding in front of you. Then turn to your right, that's Blismarkstreet. He's in the third building to your right, fifth floor."

"Got it, I'm in."

Felicity's eyes followed Oliver's tracker on her computerscreen. He kept getting closer and closer to Morgan's GPS signal. Then, she heard some noice, like wood splintering. Muffled voices, glass shattering, cries of pain.. And then everything was silent.

"Oliver? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Felicity. Morgan's down. Digg, could you please come and collect this guy? He'll probably be out for another two hours or so. I need you to take him as far from Starling City as you possibly can."

Thirty minutes later, Oliver got back. Diggle had left twenty minutes before Oliver returned, ready for picking up and taking care of his 'cargo'. Setting down his bow and quiver, Oliver unzipped his jacket, which allowed him to breath easier.

"That went pretty smooth. If only all of Starling City's criminals went down without as much as a fight as Morgan did, I'm sure Arrow could retire soon," Felicity commented, spinning around in her chair to look at him.

"You don't look really pleased, though."

"I don't want you to go out with that guy."

"Damn you, Queen, it's really none of your business! Besides, what would you care?"

"I do care, Felicity. I don't trust him."

Quirking an eyebrow, she looked at him. "And why is that?"

"The way he behaved when he came in during the meeting.. That notebook he showed to Isabel, and that remark, that everything was taken care of.. Next thing we know, we're under attack, and he and Isabel manage to get away just like that, without as much as a scratch. We found out Isabel isn't exactly walking the straight and narrow herself.. And then this afternoon, when we bumped into eachother.. He dropped that notebook, but clearly wanted me to stay away from it when I tried to pick it up for him.."

"You got a point there," Felicity sneered, before adding, "because, frankly, guys with secret notebooks are unreliable. I mean, look at yourself!"

"Felicity, I'm serious. It wouldn't hurt to be on your guard."

"Now that I'm thinking of it, he does carry that notebook with him, and I mean all the time. That still doesn't mean he's up to something or whatever.. You really think he's up to something?"

"Could be. It's suspicious at the very least.."

"Tell me about it.. Guys and their notebooks.."

"Felicity, please," Oliver sighed. As much as he didn't like Felicity to be anywhere near Edward Rockwell, he figured she could be of great help to take the notebook from Edward.

"Tomorrow, you have a meeting with Rockwell-"

"More of a date actually."

Oliver rolled his eyes at that. "I thought you didn't like the guy."

"You know, of the two of us, you're the one with a decent social life. I have to combine two jobs, I almost never go out anymore. Not that I did go out much before, I don't even like to go out.. well except with my friends you know, watch a movie, have some dinner, some drinks.. I'm just not much of a clubber..

Fact is: because of my lack of spare time, I barely have the chance to get to meet and actually date a nice guy, so now that I get the opportunity to do so, even despite the fact that I think I don't really like him, doesn't mean I don't deserve a nice afternoon out with a nice guy. At least I think he is."

Oliver was dumbfounded by Felicity's plea. He never realized she missed out so much on her social life. He felt guilty because of it, realizing he was the one reason why. Last thing he wanted for Felicity was her being unhappy, though he didn't particularly like seeing her dating a guy like Edward Rockwell. Still, he wanted to obtain Rockwell's notebook, and he was going to need Felicity's help.

"Fine, you go out with him and have that drink he promised you. If we're lucky, he'll carry his notebook with him as well. As much as I would have liked to combine this with another mission, I can't be Arrow in broad daylight. Tomorrow, you must make sure you're sitting on the left side of the terrace, on a secluded spot. Make sure he's sitting with his back to the street, so when he orders your drinks, he's distracted enough to not notice me snatching his notebook from the table. Otherwise, distract him yourself, I know you could manage just fine," he added, winking at her.

Felicity nodded, and grinned. "Good, that shouldn't be too tough. Suppose we'll be wearing ear pieces then?"

Oliver agreed. "I think it's best when we do. I'll tell Digg to stay here and watch the surveillance cameras from across the street. I could disguise myself as anything, but I don't want to take any risks, so I'll have Digg erase the camera footage from here, just to be sure."

#- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #- #-

The following morning, Felicity prepared herself for her date with Edward Rockwell. Both mentally and physically. Though she liked what she saw, she didn't particularly like his character. He was the kind of guy who could get any woman, and acted like it too. This description kinda fit Oliver Queen as well, she thought. Still, Oliver and he were not alike. Not for one bit, because she knew that the post-island Oliver was way different than the pre-island Oliver.

Taking a final look at herself in the mirror, she decided she was pleased with the way she looked like. She was wearing her hair loose, which cascaded in neat curls around her shoulders. She wore a shimmery deep red top on top a pair of black skinny jeans and Converse allstars. Different from her usual current style, it was casual, yet feminine.

She didn't use much make up; after all one of her mottos was 'less is more'. She had used some CC cream and applied some blusher for a natural pink shade on her cheeks. Though she wasn't particularly fond of eyeliner, she applied a thin line and some mascara. Her trademark, brightly colored lips, wasn't left forgotten: they were bright red, just like her top. Very kissable, very Felicity. And most important: no glasses! Once again she discarded her glasses in favor of her contacts.

She looked at her watch. Humpf, Oliver was late. Slightly annoyed, she walked towards the couch, sat down on it and waited. Waited for him to give her a call, informing her he was right outside, waiting for her. They had agreed he would pick her up, so they could discuss some last minute matters of importance about this little "mission".

Just as she stood to pace the relative small living room, her phone suddenly came to life. A text message from Oliver. She quickly grabbed her purse and coat, gave Dexter a hug, and walked towards the door.

When she opened the car door, she noticed Oliver looking at her, slightly ashamed. As he should be, Felicity thought to herself.

"Hey," he greeted her, cautiously.

"You're late," she replied, and glanced into his general direction.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I lost track of time."

It was clear Oliver didn't want to talk about whatever he had been doing which made him late for their appointment. Felicity mentally kicked him from behind.

"Felicity, Oliver and I will drop you off two blocks from the restaurant. That way we will not be seen by Rockwell, and you can pretend you've taken public transport in order to get there, without raising any suspicion. Oliver'll grab the notebook as soon as Rockwell isn't paying attention. I'll keep an eye on you through the surveillance cameras, so if anything happens, Oliver and I'll be the first to act."

"It's alright Digg, don't worry so. I'm sure he's quite harmless," she waved him off, though she liked the fact that he acted around her as the protective, wiser older brother. She never had a brother, and it made her feel at ease to know he'd have her back at all times. She and Diggle had grown closer the last couple of months, especially during Oliver's absence.

Oliver suddenly turned towards her and, with his right hand, stroked her hair. It happened so fast, she stiffened, then turned to him. He was leaning towards her, but then leaned back again, and dropped his hand. "There," he explained, "now we can stay in contact with eachother, without someone noticing." Apparently, he had slipped an earpiece with a mic into her ear. Memories from that fateful night in the casino came to the surface of her mind. Her first time in the field, along with Oliver..

Turning her face to stare out of the window, she tried to focus on anything, everything. Everything except Oliver. She wanted to avoid all eyecontact now, because she knew it brought back memories to both of them, for various reasons. And though she had applied some blush, she knew her cheeks were burning hot at the moment, ablaze with a color that matched her lips and top.

Oliver sighed, and turned to look at her. Although he rarely thought he had to elaborate anything to anyone, he knew he owed her at least some explanation for his late arrival at her appartment.

"Felicity, I.. I went to Tommy's grave this morning." Felicity turned to him, her eyes shining with compassion, and she took his hand into hers.

"Oh Oliver, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for being such a grumpy person, I immediately assumed that.. Whatever, I don't know what I assumed or didn't.. It doesn't matter. Are you alright?"

Oliver looked away, cursing himself for telling her. She trusted him, she cared for him. And he wasn't really worthy of it. "I met Laurel there."

Felicity immediately pulled her hand from his, and fidgetted with her coat. "Oh," was all she managed to choke out.

"I just ran into her, it was just a coincidence. It was awkward at the least, because the last time I saw her, I.. We.. And then Tommy-"

"Oliver, please," she really didn't want to hear this! "Please, don't."

"Felicity-"

"Will you stop it? I don't want to know! John, will you please pull over? I think I'd rather walk."

Without saying anything, Diggle came to a halt, stepped out of the car and held the car door open, allowing Felicity to step out of the car herself.

"Take care of yourself, Lis. And just remember: we'll be watching you both. If anything happens.."

"I know John, thanks." And for the first time, she leaned on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. She then turned on her heels and made her way through the crowd, heading towards Sweets and Salts, where she would meet Edward.

Diggle watched her leave, while he chuckled. Shaking his head, he made his way back to the driver's seat as soon as she was out of sight. Making eye contact with Oliver in the rearview mirror, he shook his head at him.

"And how do you think she would have reacted to that, huh?"

"Why?", Oliver growled at him.

"Man, you really need to sort out your shit. It's always Laurel, Laurel, Laurel. You leave the rest of us hanging there. What you just did, was a bit too much information, Oliver. Especially for her. You know she's nervous, and it would have been quite nice of you if you had assured her you would let nothing happen to her. Right?"

"Of course Diggle, I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her."

"Then why didn't you say so to her? She's a sweet girl Oliver, and there's no one like her in ten thousand. She risks a lot for you man, and that says something, because most of the time, you're not the most pleasant or easygoing person to be around with. And that's alright, we understand that. We are willing to take it all in. I let you beat me in the training area, we let you yell at us, she takes in your scowls and growls, she tends to your wounds, she doesn't cringe at all. We let you crush us piece by piece, because we're here for you, man. But don't you dare to crush her heart. You'll be damned if you let anything happen to her, and I'll be damned if I just stand by and watch you doing it to her yourself."

It took Oliver a while to take that all in. This was by far the longest lecture Digg had ever given him. But he was right. He always was. And he would make it better.

Meanwhile, Felicity had reached the restaurant. Letting her gaze wander across the people sitting at the tables on the terrace, she didn't find who she was looking for, so decided to go inside. The hall was spacious, modern, the walls were covered in all kinds of colorshades.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" A young waitress, who couldn't be much older than nineteen or twenty, walked towards her, her bleeched teeth shining in a huge fake smile.

"Yes, I believe you can. I have an appointment with Mr. Rockwell. He made a reservation for a table at eleven.." And as the waitress turned towards the computer screen to check, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Felicity! I'm glad you came! Come, I was already waiting for you outside, at our table. Guess you didn't see me, hmm?"

With his hand on the small of her back, he leaned towards her. Felicity was quickly enough to turn her head a little, so his lips came on the corner of her mouth. Was she feeling nervous, or were his hands so hot that she could feel his touch burn right through her shirt?

She followed him outside, and realized with frustration that he had seated himself on the wrong side of the table. He sat facing the street, with his back towards the walls of the restaurant. This wasn't according to the plan!

"I took the liberty of ordering some delicious red wine, I hope you don't mind?" Felicity shuddered. Though she didn't know where they would end up to, she liked the way they were headed right now!

"Of course not, Edward. I love red wine."

"You kidding? Me too! Ugh, finally I found someone who loves red wine as much as I do. Girls nowadays only drink white wine if they're drinking any wine at all!"

Felicity reached out and took her glass in her hands. She felt better when she saw Edward's notebook lying next to his plate. She held up her glass to him. "Cheers, Edwards. To a wonderful afternoon," she said, smiling at him. In response, he brought his glass up to hers, and added, "the first of many. Cheers."

She brought the glass to her lips, never breaking eye contact with Edward. Though normally it made her feel uneasy, this time she felt perfectly at ease. He had this look in his brown eyes, something enchanting.. She didn't know how to put it, but she knew instantly that this date wasn't to be such a hardship after all. Still, there was one problem..

"Edward, why don't we switch places? That way you can order easier, 'cause now you won't see anyone coming to take our order. Just look at all these people sitting here, it's way too crowded for them to keep track!"

Edward chuckled, and further worked his magic on her. "Don't be afraid, dear Felicity, I already ordered. What do you think of some melon with carpaccio for starter, then a delicious chicken breast with fresh vegetables and baked potato with sour cream? And for dessert, I have ordered us some Dame Blanche icecream, with extra sauce and almonds."

Felicity's eyes were as big and round as plates. This wasn't happening! "Edward, those are my favourites! How did you know?"

Edward smiled, clearly pleased with himself, but not in a smug way. "Lucky guess, I think."

And for the next two hours, they talked and talked about all sorts of things. It turned out they were very much alike, and when the waitress cleared their plates to replace them with two generous coups of Dame Blanche icecream, Felicity thought she would burst, not only from the food, but also about the bunch of information about Edward's hobbies, character traits and other interests.

Taking a bite of the delicious whipped cream, she whispered, "I don't think I'll be able to eat it all. It's marvelous, but I'm full."

Edward chuckled, and reached across the table with his spoon. "Nonsense! You should taste these almonds, they are delicious!"

She slowly parted her lips, and let Edward slide the spoon into her mouth. Closing her lips around the spoon, she closed her eyes along with it, clearly enjoying the delicious taste of the almonds, covered in chocolate sauce.

"Hmmm," she moaned, "this is divine!" Opening her eyes, she noticed he was leaning forward, studying her intently, his eyes shining with a new sort.. was it lust?

She immediately shot backwards, breaking the sensation which hang around the two of them.

"Shit, Felicity! Distract him, I'm nearly there! Distract him Felicity, quickly, if he looks up, he'll instantly see me, do something! Speak to him, kick him, whatever, but make sure he-"

She didn't hear the rest of what Oliver was saying to her through the comm. She didn't even realize what she was doing, until she felt her lips coming down at Edward Rockwell's. Edward's hand tangled itself in her hair, and the low growl that escaped his lips, urged her further on. Before she knew it, she had reached for him, enveloping his neck with her left arm, while she brought her right hand up to cup his cheek. Urging her further on, she slid her tongue into his mouth, where it mated forcefully with his. She was almost oblivious to the fact that, in a split second, Oliver stood beside her, grabbed the notebook from the table, and vanished as quickly as he had emerged.

Edward was oblivious to everything that happened around them. It was only when they broke contact, and she reached up to feel her swollen lips, that she realized she had kissed Edward Rockwell.


End file.
